Page 34 of Marked By Him

“I said, I’m done.”

“And I said no.” I was walking a line and I knew it. I teetered on the edge of sanity, but I needed to know if the one person who didn’t make me feel alone was going to hate me for what I’d done. If this man, who didn’t know my parents, couldn’t forgive me for letting them die, how was I ever supposed to forgive myself?

He advanced on me quickly. Viciously. Like a lion going in for the kill.

I backed away, knocking a lamp off a table and sending it crashing to the floor. The book fell from my hands and landed with a thud.

He didn’t even flinch at the sound. “Goddammit, why do you keep pushing me?” His voice was low. His eyes were full of angry threats and violent promises. “Since the minute you showed up here, you’ve done nothing but test me. One after another.”

He backed me against a wall. One thick thigh forced its way between my legs. I shoved at his chest but he didn’t move. My fingers gripped his shirt, fisting the fabric. My nails clawed at his skin through the cotton.

He gripped my chin with one hand and dove the other into the back of my hair. “You keep fucking fighting me.” He clenched his teeth and fisted my hair tighter. “You keep fucking testing my willpower.” His gaze fell to my mouth. His chest heaved. His breath danced across my lips. “I’m about to break. I’m thirty seconds from—” He stopped. His head fell forward, pressing his forehead to mine.

My hold on his shirt went slack. My heart pumped. My bones melted. “From what?”Say it. Just fucking say it.

He lifted his head and the pain etched in his face was palpable. Wanting me caused him physical pain. He couldn’t even say the words out loud.

I wanted to throw up.

“How did you find me, Eve? Who the fuck are you?”

I braced my shoulders, cleared my throat and forced my voice to cut through the gut-wrenching shame brewing inside me. “Someone who did an unforgivable thing.”

16

Eve

The world shiftedon its axis. An hour ago, I looked out over fields of grass and believed it could be a better place. Now, I was reminded how cruel it was. It took and took until there was nothing left.

I had nothing left.

I shoved away from Roman. “You said I was free to leave.” I’d rather be alone than pushed to the brink of madness whenever I looked at him.

He ran a hand over his face. “That’s what you want?”

“You’ve made me painfully aware of what you think of me.” I tipped my chin. “So, let me go.”

His face contorted. The flash of pain from an internal battle flared in his eyes. He balled his hands, clenching and unclenching his fists. And then he roared.

“Fuuuuuuuck.”

My heart kicked against my ribs. My breath froze. I couldn’t move.

And then Iwasmoving.

Roman grabbed hold of me. He marched me across the living room, then to the stairs. His fingers dug into my wrist as he took the steps two at a time. I had to practically run to keep up. A sharp sting of pain shot up my calf, making my stomach lurch when I stumped my toe on one of the steps.

I spit a string of curses. “Piece of shit, cocksucking, son of a bitch.”

Roman didn’t stop. He didn’t even turn around.

He jerked me into the bedroom where I’d slept last night and tossed me onto the bed. I bit my tongue as I bounced on the mattress. The metallic tinge of blood filled my mouth. I added it to my ever-growing list of injuries. My hair fell in front of my face.

I swept it away with one hand and sat up straight. “You said I could leave.” My hand flew to my mouth at the pain of talking. Fuck, I bit that bitch hard.

“I lied.” He held a hand on the doorknob. “And if you tell me you’d rather be out there with them than in here with me, you’re a fucking liar, too.”

Themcould have meant the vampires, or the people from my camp, or any other humans in general. It didn’t matter because he was right. I may have been consumed by guilt, overwhelmed with self-doubt, and confused as fuck. But I didn’t really want to leave.

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